Percy Grainger is best remembered as a pianist, but he made a significant contribution to the band repertoire. A new disc from a leading British band reveals the range of sonorities that he gets from the woodwinds and brass, and the range of his musical curiosity. (08/19/2008)

A new disc of Mozart violin concertos finds soloist and conductor in natural agreement. Bright tempos, attention to detail, and operatic flair give this set a winning freshness. (08/12/2008)

The Alexandria Festival of the Lakes opens on Friday with a concert celebrating the 175th anniversary of Brahms' birth. A few of the participating musicians stopped by Minnesota Public Radio for a sampling. (08/07/2008)

Albert Ginastera is Argentina's most famous composer, but much of his music is rarely played. Now, his complete works for cello and piano, evoking the songs and landscape of his native country, have been recorded by cellist Mark Kosower. (08/05/2008)

What do the musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra during their summer vacations? Some play in festivals at scenic locales. Others ride horses and motorcycles. And some just take a break from music. (08/04/2008)

After making a splash with the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra recordings of Beethoven and Mahler, Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel follows up with something a little spicier. (07/29/2008)

The young Argentine musician Ingrid Fliter is one of the brightest rising stars in the piano world. The composer she's most identified with is Chopin, and his music is the focus of her latest disc. (07/22/2008)

Jon Lord, best known as part of the group Deep Purple, has also had a lifelong involvement with classical music. His new piano concerto is influenced by Bach and Dave Brubeck, and takes its title from D. H. Lawrence. (07/15/2008)

Minnesota isn't alone in celebrating a 150th birthday this year. The Harvard Glee Club was also born in 1858. America's oldest college choir stopped by Minnesota Public Radio for a sampling of a few songs from the group's sesquicentennial tour. (07/09/2008)

If you have a fondness for piano music -- perhaps you play or once did, or maybe you're the parent of a budding young musician -- you might want to carve out some time this afternoon to catch the Semi-Final Round of the Minnesota International e-Piano Junior Competition. The first e-Comp took place in 2002 and has occurred every two years since, just like the Olympics. And, like this year's Olympic athletes, these musicians are from all over the world and playing at the top of their game. (07/08/2008)

The SPCO celebrates its 50th anniversary this fall. Longtime president Bruce Coppock reflects on how the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra remade itself in the face of challenges that have threatened bigger orchestras. (Midmorning, 07/08/2008)

Throughout his career, Nigel Kennedy has been both a mainstay and a rebel within the world of classical music. His new disc includes the Beethoven concerto, a Mozart concerto, and a very unconventional cadenza. (07/07/2008)

Even people who don't know Leroy Anderson's name recognize the standards that he composed, such as "Sleigh Ride" and "Blue Tango." The Naxos label is marking his centennial by bringing out his complete orchestral music, conducted by no less than Leonard Slatkin. (06/30/2008)

In an interesting twist of an old story, Julia Roberts' "Pretty Woman" watched her own life story unfold on the opera stage, in a production of "La Traviata: the Woman who Strayed." Duluth Festival Opera uses the Hollywood connection in a new production set in 1930s Hollywood. (06/26/2008)

The Brooklyn Rider string quartet is back in Minnesota hosting the Stillwater Music Festival. The group's concerts include an all Scandinavian program honoring the state's sesquicentennial. (06/25/2008)